


A Mother's Perspective

by ruffini



Category: 13 Reasons Why (TV)
Genre: All the relationships are minor or in the background, Fluff, Hopeful Ending, Hurt/Comfort, Mentions of a Suicide Attempt, Minor Angst, Multi, POV Outsider, Post-Canon, Reconciliation, i honestly don't know how to tag this one
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-09
Updated: 2020-09-09
Packaged: 2021-03-06 16:54:24
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,385
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26382211
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ruffini/pseuds/ruffini
Summary: The group gets together for a end of summer bbq. Everyone, including their parents, are there.We get the perspective of 5 of their mom's on how their kid's lives have been up to this point.
Relationships: Charlie St. George/Alex Standall, Jessica Davis/Justin Foley
Comments: 4
Kudos: 25





	A Mother's Perspective

**Author's Note:**

> Wow, this one was a little emotional for me to write. But I was experimenting with having the character's mom's reactions to the things that happened during the show and how the characters ended up. I hope you guys like it. I didn't want it to be straight fluff so there are some sad moments here or emotional moments. Main trigger warning is Alex's suicide attempt but I tried to keep that at a minimum.

It had been two years since Liberty High School’s Class of 2019 had graduated. Even though the group no longer attended the same school, their friendship had only continued to grow. Holidays and breaks were filled with always meeting up to catch up and hang out. Now, summer break was ending and the group decided to get together for a Labor Day barbeque. The plan was to hold it at the Jensen’s place and if their parents could or wanted to attend, they could too.

The get together had a decent turn out. Aside from the usual group: Clay, Justin, Jessica, Zach, Alex, Charlie, Tony, Tyler, and Ani, Caleb and Estela had come along as well. The Jensens would be there of course, but Bill and Carolyn Standall, Mr. St. George, Mr and Mrs Down, Mrs. Acholla, and Karen Dempsey, the latter two being the surprise guests would be coming as well. All in all, it was a pretty lively gathering and the Jensens had decided to go all out, setting up several tables outside, getting the fire pit ready, and hanging up some lights to brighten up the atmosphere.

The barbeque had been great and everyone had enjoyed themselves. After eating, the kids had gathered around the firepit to be with each other. Their parents sat further away around one of the tables. They watched their children with interest, taking note of how comfortable and at ease they all seemed now. The couples of course were sitting with each other but everyone else was scattered around the fire, faces completely void of the stress and worry from two years ago. For any parent, seeing your child being able to happily live life was the best sight in the world. But for a mother, it meant more than anyone could ever imagine.

**Lainie Jensen**

Lainie had to admit, she had missed being able to host get togethers like this. Having everyone over and just enjoying each other’s company was something she hadn’t realized everyone needed until they finally had this get together. Over the years, she and Matt had become friends with the parents of Clay and Justin’s friends. They all bonded through sharing experiences on raising this rambunctious group and the struggles they had faced over the years.

For her, being able to see both her sons live carefree at last felt like she had finally achieved some sort of goal. It hadn’t been easy to get to this point. Even when they only had Clay, things had been difficult. Clay had always been a bit of an anxious kid and when they finally had to send him to therapy in elementary school because the anxiety was getting too much, Matt and Lainie spent hours at night reading and learning how to support Clay. Each day they hoped that Clay would make it through without any incidents. When Clay reached high school, things became even more complicated.

Trying to console Clay after the loss of Hannah was extremely difficult with how much Clay closed himself off. Then, he brought Justin into their lives and that was a whole other rollercoaster they had to tackle. After first getting over the shock at the fact that their son was hiding a homeless child in his room, it was an entire process to adapting to having two teenage boys in the house.

Matt and Lainie had been apprehensive about keeping Justin with them at first. They knew he would need professional help with his addiction and to help him get through whatever traumas he may have gained while living on the streets or previously with his mother. But they both quickly came to love Justin just as much as they loved Clay. And watching him struggle to pick up the pieces of his life and make a full recovery made their hearts ache. But when the news came that Justin had gotten into Occidental and Clay into Brown, Lainie was over the moon with joy. Both her boys had made through high school and were going to college. They had survived and were finally in a place in life where they could enjoy their college experiences.

Flash forward to now and seeing Clay with his mental health under control and Justin finally moving past the shadow of his past, she felt tears form in her eyes. Her boys were in college, healthy, and happy. It was all she could ask for and each day she prayed they would continue to be able to wake up healthy and happy.

**Carolyn Standall**

Carolyn was always more observant with Alex. Her youngest son had always been a little quiet, withdrawn, and introverted compared to his older brother Peter. When Alex was growing up, Carolyn kept her eye on him just in case he needed the extra support. When Alex had picked up music, Carolyn was glad her son had found a hobby. But when they moved to Evergreen, she had no idea the most challenging years of her life were still ahead.

After finding out Alex had made friends with members of the football team, Carolyn was glad he was expanding his social circle outside of Jessica and Hannah. She loved the two girls dearly but she still hoped Alex would have more than just two friends. Even though she was weary of this new group, she pushed her doubts to the side for now. But when news of Hannah’s death came, Carolyn grew worried for Alex. He had lost one of his best friends and, while unbeknownst to her, was wracked with extreme guilt.

Carolyn tried her best to support Alex and help him through his grief, but she saw that a certain light had faded from her son’s life. It broke her heart to see Alex basically just going through the motions of life but not actually living it. But on that terrible night her baby boy felt like he couldn’t continue on and tried to end his own life, Carolyn felt her entire world collapse around her. She prayed and hoped and pleaded with the universe for her son to survive. When she and Bill had finally gotten the news that their son would make it, she wanted to cry from relief. But she steeled herself for the fight ahead, knowing that they were far from moving past this entire situation.

Helping Alex recover was a struggle in and of itself. She wanted to do nothing more than just magically heal Alex’s leg and arm, but she knews it was up to him to put in the work to go through PT. She and Bill did their best to support him, Bill even adopting a much more caring role with Alex. And it was during those first few months after Alex’s attempt that Carolyn became extremely grateful for the presence of one Zach Dempsey. She was grateful to Zach for being there for Alex when he needed a friend the most. And she was grateful to Zach for helping Alex with PT. She had been apprehensive about Alex befriending the jocks at the school, but Zach quickly became an exception.

However, Carolyn didn’t feel like they were fully ready to put the past behind them until the day Alex introduced Charlie into their lives. When her son simultaneously came out to her and Bill and introduced his boyfriend to them, her first thought wasn’t even that her son was gay or bi or whatever label he preferred. Her first thought was that Alex was at a point where he felt comfortable enough to share such important news with them. And when Alex told her that Charlie made him incredibly happy, her heart nearly burst. She felt like it had been so long since she saw that glint in his eyes as Alex looked at Charlie.

Looking over at her son and his boyfriend, seeing the two of them lost in their own little world, Carolyn gave her husband’s hand a squeeze. He looked at her curiously but she simply shook her head. She was glad Alex had made it to this point, so that he could live his life surrounded by people who loved him.

**Karen Dempsey**

Karen Dempsey didn’t have the best of relationships with her son during his high school years. That she was more than aware of. She had hoped to keep him on track to have a successful life and had done everything she thought she could to make that happen. But looking back, she realized that she hadn’t done all she should have as a mother.

When her husband George passed away, she was pre-occupied with her own grief, she hadn’t even noticed that Zach was also hurting from the loss of his father. And in her attempts to not look vulnerable or emotional in front of her children, had put on a mask of indifference and tried to be strict with her kids. But she had failed to realize that choice had driven a wedge between her and Zach. She wanted Zach to stay focused on his studies to get into a good college. Zach wanted a mother who would give him emotional support. Their lack of communication with each other eventually culminating with what amounted to Zach avoiding talking to her as much as possible. And despite Karen’s cold front, this development had broken her heart. Zach was still her son and she was still his mother. She didn’t know when it hit her, but one day she realized that perhaps she might need to be the one to reach out first to Zach; to show him that she really did care about him.

So she did. The two of them had an extremely emotional talk a few days after Zach had graduated from Liberty. The weeks that followed were hard. Karen had grown up in a household that didn’t always emphasize talking about your emotions or feelings. But she could tell this was what Zach needed. After weeks of slowly opening back up to each other and rebuilding their trust, Karen could finally say that they had reached a point where they understood and loved each other.

So now, sitting here with the other parents, Karen watched as Zach’s eyes lit up while he was telling another joke. She had disapproved of her son’s choice to befriend these kids for so long in high school that she had failed to see how much her son needed them. But now, she understood. While her son’s friends weren’t “perfect” kids, they gave Zach what he needed most: a source of support. And now, after finally having reconciled with her oldest son, she was content knowing that she was also a part of Zach’s support base.

**Amara Josephine Achola**

Amara Joesphine was always a cautious woman. It may have stemmed from the fact that she had to raise Amorowat on her own or the fact that they had to always move around. But regardless, Amara Josephine was always reluctant to make friends. It was easier to focus on her daughter and her job, since anything else would be too distracting.

But when Amorowat asked her to come with her to a barbeque her friend’s family was hosting, Amara Josephine didn’t know what prompted her to say yes. Maybe it was the fact that things seemed like they had finally settled down. Her daughter was in one of the top universities in America, she herself had found a more stable job for the moment and could finally breathe a small sigh of relief, or maybe it was because even she had grown curious about this group of friends that her daughter held on to, even two years after graduation.

Arriving at the Jensen residence, Amara Josephine felt a little out of her depth. She had spent so many years of her life focused on work only that she had almost forgotten what it was like to socialize. But the other parents there were more than friendly. They treated her like an old friend and she even started to open up to them. They traded stories of raising their kids and Amara Josephine found herself sharing stories of raising Ani as well. Well into the night, she felt relaxed for the first time in so many years. She thought back to what her daughter had said to her several years ago: they had come to this country and now she had to be able to live in this country. Back then Amara Josephine chalked it up to teenage rebellion and naivety, but sitting here now, she felt like she understood what Amorowat had meant. Yes, she needed to focus on her job and making sure they had enough to live. But she also needed to take care of herself as well and let others into her life and find people she could rely on for support and strength as well.

This entire concept was foreign to her, but by the time the gathering had come to an end, Amara Josephine had found herself in a group text with the other parents. They had decided at some point in their conversation that they should all keep in touch as well, if their kids could do it, so could they. So as she and Amorowat made their way home, Amara Josephine felt like her daughter was right. It was time that she also let herself live in this country as well.

**Bonus: Helen St. George**

Helen would have loved to meet her son’s boyfriend, his friends, and even their parents. But the universe had decided that wouldn’t be possible. While she was no longer there with her husband and son, she continued to watch over them. She was proud of the man her son was becoming and thought that he had chosen the perfect person to spend the rest of his life with. Alex was a beautiful soul and she could see why Charlie had become infatuated with the older boy. She was still sorry that she couldn’t be there with her son as he reached all the different milestones in life, but she hoped that he would always remember that she would continue to watch over him. Helen hoped that he knew she was proud of him and that she loved his friends very much.

**Author's Note:**

> That last bit was the one I was the most iffy about including, but I figured why not. Charlie's mom definitely would have loved Alex and Charlie's friends, so I wanted to give her a small part at the end.
> 
> Thanks for reading! Leave your comments and kudos below, they keep me motivated to write more :) Until next time!


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